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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFrcE.

-JosEFE KIEKFATEIGK FREEMAN, oF sENEnGEoEGIA.

CAR-COUPLING.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 377,746, dated February 14, 1888.

Application tiled October 4. 1887.

To all whom it may' concern,.-V

Be it known that I, J osEPH KIRKPATRICK FREEMAN, a citizen of the United States of America, residing at Seney, in the county of 5 Floyd and State ot' Georgia, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Self Car- Bumper Couplings, of which the following is a specitioation, reference being had therein to the accompanying drawings.

My invention relates to car-couplers; and its objects are, rst, to'provide an automatic coupler; second, to produce a coupler which readily detaches ad jacentcarsin the event of accidents; third, to providea coupler adaptabletoexisting Atypes of cars; fourth, to present a coupler obviating manual interposition either to couple or uncouple the cars; and, fifth, to attain these ends with structural simplicity and economy. I attain these aims by the deviceillustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which- Figurelrepresents theadjacenttermini of two railroadcars embodying my improvements. Fig. 2 is a central longitudinal section through the coupler. Fig. 3 represents an elevation of the link employed in my coupler. Fig. 4 is a central longitudinal section through the link; and Fig. 5 is an elevation of the detached pivoted draw-head block, whose oscillations serve alternately to engage and release the raised ends of the link.

The same designations indicate corresponding parts in the several views.

To ordinary forms of cars,A, mounted on the wheels G and track N by the customary bearings, B,and having projections D, to which the bearings E, in which the operating-shaft M, having preferably a crankhandle, M', is secured, I attach a drawhead, G, having a base, H, and a top, F, and the oscillating block I,

. ends proj ect perpendicularly upward to engage' Serial No. 251.404. (No model.)

having a projecting pin, K, and the shaft M, 4o

rigidly attached ythereto in perforation L. The

linkJ has two beveled ends,whose angular walls serve by frictional contact to engage and disengage the pivoted block I in its alternate oscillations. Two slots, J ',are made therein to ac- 45 commodate the old form of link-and-pin coupler. It will be understood thatby this means two cars in approximately the same horizontal plane will automatically couple when contact between them is made. f The junction will be maintained until either manually or by action of gravity the block I is shifted to release the link. The latter case occurs if one of the cars were precipitated over an embankment or any differentplanesuddenlyandviolentlyassumed.

Having thus fully described my improvements, what I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States, is-

The car-coupler herein described, consisting of a draw-head, G, having abase, H, and a top, F, the loose block I', pivoted intermediately between them, for the purpose of engaging and releasing the link J, provided with the projection K and the shaft M, and the link J, whose the block Land having two counterpart slots, J ,equidistantly located in both directions from a transverse median line, to afford means for retaining the pin-coupler ordinarily in use at the present time, as herein fully shown and described. f

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

JOSEPH KIEKFATEIGK FREEMAN'.

Witnesses:

W. H. Ross," A'. E. Ross. 

